| Birth Date: | 1 September 2007 |
| Birth Place: | Saint-Étienne, France |
Sya Dembélé (born 1 September 2007), also known mononymously as Syssy, is a French breakdancer.
Sya Dembélé was born on 1 September 2007[1] in Saint-Étienne, France. She is the daughter of professional artists from the African dance group Doni Doni.[2] [3] Her father was a griot in Burkina Faso, while her mother is a choreographer.[4]
Her family is passionate about dancing, and she started dancing at the age of eight.[1] Her brother Damani also practises breakdancing,[2] and she admired and emulated him. Her elder brother, Soso,[1] also has a high profile in the breakdancing world.[4]
Dembélé, under her stage name Syssy, has been dancing internationally since she was nine years old, evolving in the group Melting Force.[2] The team was founded in 1999, and comprises around 15 members ranging from 10 to 40 years old.[4]
Dembélé participated in her first international competition recognized by the World DanceSport Federation in early 2022 (being too young to participate before), finishing 27th (and 3rd French) in the 2022 European Breakdance Championship.[2] In November 2022, she participated in the Red Bull BC One in New York City, the most prestigious international competition outside the federal circuit.[2]
In December 2022, she represented France at the Battle of the Year in Okinawa, a leading international competition in the breakdance world.[2]
On 7 May 2023, at the age of 16, Dembélé won the bronze medal at the 2023 European Breakdance Championship in Almería,[5] qualifying her for the 2023 European Games but failed to reach the podium. In September, she won the bronze medal at the World Championships in Leuven.[6]
In June 2024, Dembélé finished fourth in the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, securing her ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics.[7]